Getting some new front and drive axle tyres fitted to the truck on Monday. I’m currently running a Volvo FH4 500 6x2 on the original Bridgestone R-steer 001 and R-drive 001 and have just covered 170k.
I have the choice of Bridgestones again or Hankook AH31 and DH31. There’s not too much difference in the price, about £30 cheaper per tyre for the Hankooks.
Is anyone on here running the Hankooks and if so, how have you found them?
Not that relevant I know but… I ran a fleet which had some sprinters and 7.5 tonners, our local tyre supplier fitted Hankooks but I ended up taking them off as they kept blowing out sidewalls or becoming misshaped. It put me off the brand altogether.
I run both , Bridgestone and hankook tyres on rural country, artic work not much difference in them I don’t think similar mileage on both although I prefer the Bridgestone drive 729, although when new they pick up stones , I think the hankook steer offers more grip on shiney tar etc , Bridgestone has harder shoulders , not a problem on motorway running but I prefer the feel of the hankook steer ,it’s the only tyres I fit and if I get the Bridgestone 729 near the price of hankook I usually go Bridgestone i.e. £10-£15
I wouldn’t touch a Bridgestone steer ,they go through on the shoulder to the soft compound and look bad even though they say it’s still ok ,the hancook casings don’t make a very good price they say it’s because they show small cracks in side , I found the ah22s to be good which I think Has been superseded by the ah31 ? Just bought aload of hancook in including ah31 although it will be few months yet before I fit them .
I drive the same Volvo. I got 270k out of the Bridgestones on the drive axle. these were replaced with DH31 Hankook. Need replacing again with only 120k on them.
Had the front steer go on the shoulders both with Bridgestones and Hankook.
Only road work not off-road.
john-sussex:
I drive the same Volvo. I got 270k out of the Bridgestones on the drive axle. these were replaced with DH31 Hankook. Need replacing again with only 120k on them.
Had the front steer go on the shoulders both with Bridgestones and Hankook.
Only road work not off-road.
270k■■? Wow.
What were you pulling, cotton wool?
goshow:
john-sussex:
I drive the same Volvo. I got 270k out of the Bridgestones on the drive axle. these were replaced with DH31 Hankook. Need replacing again with only 120k on them.
Had the front steer go on the shoulders both with Bridgestones and Hankook.
Only road work not off-road.270k■■? Wow.
What were you pulling, cotton wool?
Quite possible to see that sort of mileage on 95% motorway work, double shifted vehicles clock up that mileage in a year or two on the same rubber.
Bridgestone on my FH500, 120K km on the steer and 95k km on the drive axle. Hopefully getting my new FH16 shortly but not sure what they come with new??
Me personally would go for hankooks,got them on my steer and are brilliant,
My last firm ran all bridgestone and I really wasn’t impressed with any of them,
The steer and lift axles used to wear on the edge badly and the drive axles used to cut up.
Then they would get them re-cut and you would get strips coming off then
goshow:
john-sussex:
I drive the same Volvo. I got 270k out of the Bridgestones on the drive axle. these were replaced with DH31 Hankook. Need replacing again with only 120k on them.
Had the front steer go on the shoulders both with Bridgestones and Hankook.
Only road work not off-road.270k■■? Wow.
What were you pulling, cotton wool?
I’ll have a wager that’s a 2013 model running M729 patterns. Bridgestone discontinued them in 2014 and replaced them with the r-drive. We have already replaced every drive on our 64 and 15 plates, yet every 63 went full term, with 4 doing well over 300k. My boss bought up every old stock 729 he could find, and most of the 64/15s have them now. You did well to get 170k. Most of ours did half that. If you go for Bridgestone, make sure they’re 2017 tyres and not old stock, as they have changed the compound to try and get more mileage from them
Big burner:
Not that relevant I know but… I ran a fleet which had some sprinters and 7.5 tonners, our local tyre supplier fitted Hankooks but I ended up taking them off as they kept blowing out sidewalls or becoming misshaped. It put me off the brand altogether.
I had the same problem
OVLOV JAY:
goshow:
john-sussex:
I drive the same Volvo. I got 270k out of the Bridgestones on the drive axle. these were replaced with DH31 Hankook. Need replacing again with only 120k on them.
Had the front steer go on the shoulders both with Bridgestones and Hankook.
Only road work not off-road.270k■■? Wow.
What were you pulling, cotton wool?
I’ll have a wager that’s a 2013 model running M729 patterns. Bridgestone discontinued them in 2014 and replaced them with the r-drive. We have already replaced every drive on our 64 and 15 plates, yet every 63 went full term, with 4 doing well over 300k. My boss bought up every old stock 729 he could find, and most of the 64/15s have them now. You did well to get 170k. Most of ours did half that. If you go for Bridgestone, make sure they’re 2017 tyres and not old stock, as they have changed the compound to try and get more mileage from them
Haha your not wrong…mines a early 63 plate…
Well I reckon I’ll give the Hankooks a try then.
The centre and inside edges of the steer axle Bridgestones are fine on mine, but the outer edges have scrubbed down to minimum. There’s a good 5mm in the centres.
goshow:
Well I reckon I’ll give the Hankooks a try then.The centre and inside edges of the steer axle Bridgestones are fine on mine, but the outer edges have scrubbed down to minimum. There’s a good 5mm in the centres.
At you the one driving it all the time? What sort of roads are you using daily?
dave_k:
goshow:
Well I reckon I’ll give the Hankooks a try then.The centre and inside edges of the steer axle Bridgestones are fine on mine, but the outer edges have scrubbed down to minimum. There’s a good 5mm in the centres.
At you the one driving it all the time? What sort of roads are you using daily?
I’ve done 163,000 of the 165,000 it’s covered. 80% motorway work, 15% A roads, 5% other stuff. Running between 30 and 42 tonne the majority of the time.
It did have a broken FNS spring for a short period, possibly 4 days. That didn’t help the edge of the FNS tyre at all and since then the steering has been slightly off-set. Volvo have checked the wheel alignement twice and say all is well. One of our other trucks had the same issue and they’re just put new steer and drive tyres on (Hankooks) and the steering is now bang on centre.
With Bridgestones you need to check where they are made, there is a big difference in their life depending on whether they are made in Europe or the far east, do not touch the ones made outside of Europe
Had the Hankooks fitted since Monday.
Initially they felt terrible. Really wallowy and soft in corners and roundabouts but now they seem to have bedded in really well.
They are quieter than then Bridgestones too.
I had Hankook’s on my rigid from Truck Links, the steers were awesome! Over 200K’s and counting before they got rid of it, the drive tyres weren’t so great. The nearside suffered from terrible flat spotting, the offside also had this problem but it wasn’t so bad. According to Trunk Links, it was because of the way they were loaded.